Retort



March 4 1924. 1,485,851

E. w. HOPPER Original Filed April 5, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 a) M ifINVENTOR ERNEST Wfi'kOPPER *RTTORNEY E. w HOPPER Mai-ch 4 1924.1,485,851.

RETORT or. "nal Filed April 3, W22 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 \NVENTOR ERN EST WfloPPzR @3 Fatented Mar. 4;, 1924.

1,4,851 rs Fries.

ERNEST VJ.

HOPPER, F SEATTLE, WASHINGTON, ASSIGNOR TO HOPPER CANNERY MACHINERY(10., 0F SEATTLE, VIASHINGTON, A GORPQBATION OF WASHINGTON.

RETORT.

Application filed April 3, 1922, Serial No. 549,145. Renewed December12, 1923.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ERNEST W. HOPPER,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Seattle, in the county ofKing and State of \Vashington, have invented a certain new and usefulImprovement in Retorts, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in steam heated retorts for cookingcanned foods and particularly in the apparatus described and claimed inmy prior United States Patent No. 1,331,066, and the object of myinvention is to provide an improved retort of increased capacityrelative to its size and having a largely increased steam space wherebythe cooking operations are facilitated and conducted withmoreuniformity.

A further object of my invention is the provision of novel and efficientmeans for introducing the cans into the retort and discharging themtherefrom whereby the said operations are rendered practically automaticand functioning of the retort rendered continuous. v

A still further object of my invention is the provision of novel andimproved devices for guarding against leakage and loss of steam in theoperation of the device.

With the above and other objects in View which will appear as thedescription proceeds, my invention resides in the combination andarrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being understood that within the scope of whatis claimed, changes in the precise embodiment of my invention shown, canbe made without departing from the spirit thereof.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a view in sideelevation of the apparatus embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a view in horizontal section of the same, certain parts beingbroken away;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of one of the header elements ofmy invention;

Fig. 4 is a view in elevation of the lower end ofthe'apparatus, partlybroken away;

Fig. 5 is an end view of the rotary cage element of the invention andguard plate therefor, partly broken. away, shown as removed from thecasing; and

Fig. 6 is a View in elevation of the upper end of the apparatus.

Referring to the drawings throughout which like reference numeralsdesignate like parts, the numeral 1 indicates the cylindrical body of aretort casing having upper and lower end walls 2 and 3, respectively,constructed in accordance with usual steam boiler practice, said casingbeing rigidly supported on bosses 5 and 6 in an inclined position.Provision is made for the entrance of the cooking steam within theretort through an opening 7 in said wall 2 for a pipe connection and forthe discharge of the steam and any condensations therefrom through anopening 8 for pipe connections in wall 3.; r

A shaft 10 is mounted for rotation in the axis of said casing inbearings 11 and 12 in the respective end walls 2 and 3 and each of saidbearings being provided with a steam tight packing gland, such as 13through which said shaft projects. A retort cage is mounted on saidshaft for rotation therewith within said casing and consists in endheaders 15 and 16 riveted to hubs 17 and 18, respectively, which areconnected to said shaft by keys 20 and 21 indicates individually aplurality of rectangularly shaped tubes in which the cans of food aremaintained while undergoing the cooking process, said tubes being openat their ends and brazed or otherwise rigidly secured in openings withcorresponding configuration made in said headers. llhe tubes aresupported in their mid-length by a plate 22 secured to a shaft 10, whilesaid tubes 21 are rectangular in configuration and will be designed toconform in the shape and size of the cans treated therein.

A rib or beading 28 may be formed on the sides of the tubes to addstiffness and strength to the tubes without substantial increase ofweight, said tubes being preferably arranged so that one of theirtransverse axes is radially disposed with respect to the casfreecirculation of'the steam and also for manholes in case of repairs. Thenumeral 27 indicates a manhole on each of said end walls 2 and 3. V

28 indicates a chute in which one or more rows of cans 30 are deliveredand introduced into said tubes and 31 indicates a discharge chutethrough which the cans are conveyed away from the machine after theircooking treatment. The introduction and discharge of the cans toand fromthe retort is practically automatic and'the connecting device 32 betweensaid retort tubesand the respective chutes being similar andsubstantially identical a description of one of such means of connectionwill suffice for both.

lnthe operation of the machine the emptying of a line of tubescontaining cans already cooked takes place simultaneously with thefilling of a line of tubes with cans of raw material. The cans arepositioned on their round sides and roll downwardly in the chutes whichare inclined at substantially the same pitch as the tubes of the retort.The ends of the respective chutes 28 and 31 adjacent the retort arepositioned at different elevations corresponding to the distance betweentwo of the evenly spaced radial lines of the tubes in the retort.

Devices to be hereinafter described actuate the retort cageintermittently in the direction of the arrows in Figs. 4L and 6 for adistance equivalent to the distances between the radial center lines ofsaid tubes whereby each said line of tubes is presented in turn first tothe lower discharge chute 31 for the emptying the cans whose cooking hasbeen completed and then to the upper filling chute for the introductionof a fresh charge of cans containing the raw material.

As has been stated the ends of the tubes are open at each end and theends of the respective chutes are open and make communicative connectionwith said tubes through devices 32 also open at all times so that withthe filling chute containing cans and the tubes in the same conditionthe filling and discharging of cans from the tubes takes placeimmediately the open ings in the respective tubes are moved oppositelyand in register with said devices 32 and the chutes 28 and 31.

The connecting devices 32 each consist of a relatively short conduit 33having passages 35 therein corresponding to the corresponding openingsin said tubes and chutes, said conduits being supported in therespective end walls 2 and 3 by means of a member 36 with which apacking gland 37 is operatively connected and between which packingmaterial 38 may bepositioned to prevent the leakage of steam thereby.The inner end of said conduit is formed with a flange 40 extendingaboutthe inner end of the passage 35 therein to provide a relatively largebearing surface which is preferably ground true as is also the opposingsurface 41 of the headers 15 and 16 that a steam tight joint is madethereat through a relatively light frictional colit-act. If desired saidsteam tight connection may be made through a packing joint of anysuitable sort as the pressures are not great and various packing devicesmay be used.

Numeral 12 designates a guard plate'at each end of the retort cagesecured by brackets 43 from the respective end walls 2 and 3 anddesigned to prevent the cans within the tubes from rolling out orprojecting therefrom, each of said plates 4-2 being spaced from therespective header to prevent actual contact and extends in circulardirections entirely around the outer portion of said headers to coversaid tube openings except where the flanges 40 of the conduit 33intervene.

A thrust bearing 45 is provided for the lower end of the shaft 10mounted ina bracket 46. shaft are devices for actuating the retort cagein an intermittent manner and consists in a ratchet wheel 48 keyed tothe shaft 10 and formed with ratchet teeth 50 on its periphery designedfor engagement with an actuating pawl 51, said teeth 50 being spacedapart to make each advance of the wheel in its step by step progressionequal to the distance between the radial center of said tubes.

Pawl 51 is mounted on a crank 52 of a power shaft'53 which is rotated ata uniform rate of speed by an electric motor or other source of power,not shown, 55 indicates a check pawl engageable with the teeth 50 tosecure the wheel against retrograde movement when said pawl 51 isreceding.

In operation of the retort steam is maintained within the casing to fillthe interior thereof under suflicient heat and pressure to efficientlymaintain cooking conditions about the cans contained in the tubes 21 and21.

The steam penetrates within the tubes well as inzthe spaces surroundingthem with the exception that no steam will enter the tubes that are inthe position of discharging or filling.

The rotary movement of the power shaft 53 is continuous and uniform andthe actuatingpawl 51 advances and recedes for a maximum distanceequivalent to the distance between the tube cen'ters,'the advance of thepawl .51 in its engagement with a tooth 50 of the ratchet wheel 48advancing theretort'cage a distance sufiicient to bring the tubes inalignment successively-with the conduit passages 35 and on the rearwardAt the opposite end "of the travel of the pawl sufficient time willelapse for the emptying and filling of the tubes that are presented tosaid passages 35.

The tubes are first brought into alignment with the lowermostdischarging conduit at the lower end or the casing whereupon all thecans in the tube roll down the inclined tube through the conduit andinto the chute 31 and from there are conveyed away to a cooling room orwhere desired. Simultaneously the tubes that were emptied justpreviously and have been advanced into alignment with the conduit at theupper end of the machine are filled by cans rolling thereinto from thechute 28, the lower end of the tube being filled being stopped by theguard plate 42 against which the cans in all the tubes bear.

After being loaded into the tubes the cans are maintained in the tubesat a cooking temperature while the rotary retort cage makes the entirerevolution to the discharging position in its step by step movements.

It will be seen from the foregoing that the operation of the machine maybe continued with a very small amount of attention or labor and that itwill continue to function in practically an automatic manner.

\Vhat I claim is:

1. A retort of the class described, con- *isting of a steam tightcylindrical casing,

a cage rotatably mounted in said casing consisting in a pair of spacedheaders, and a plurality of can receiving tubes secured at their ends toopenings on said headers, a conduit extending through each of theopposite ends of said casing and arranged to register in alignment withthe openings in said headers and tubes, said conduits having steam tightengagement with said headcrs.

2. A retort of the class described, consisting of a cylindrical casinghaving an inclined axis, a cage within said casing keyed to a shaftsupported for rotation 011 the end walls of said casing, said cagecomprising a plurality of can receiving tubes arranged in equally spacedrelation about the axis of rotation of the cage, a conduit extendingthrough each end wall of the casing registering in alignment with saidtubes and making a steam tight connection with said cage, a fillingchute and discharge chute in alignment with said conduits, respectively,and means to rotate said cage intermittently.

3. A retort of the class described, consisting of a casing rigidlysupported in an inclined position, a rotatable cage in said casingcomprising a plurality of tubes arranged in regular spaced intervalsparallel to the axis of rotation, a conduit extending through each ofthe end walls of the casing and formed with a passageway adapted toregister in alignment with said tubes, and means to make a steam tightjoint between each of said conduit and said cage.

a. A retort of the class described, consisting in a steam tightcylindrical casing having its axis inclined with respect to thehorizontal, a cage rotatably mounted in said casing, consisting in apair of spaced headers, and a plurality of can receiving tubes securedin said headers, a conduit extending through each of the opposite endsof said casing and arranged to register with said tubes, said conduitshaving their inner ends flanged and arranged to bear upon said headers,and guard plates secured in spaced relation from each of said headersopposite the ends of said tubes.

5. A retort of the class described, consisting in a cylindrical casing,a cage within said casing keyed to a shaft supported for rotation in theend walls of the casing, said shaft and cage being inclined in relationto the horizontal, a plurality of can receiving tubes in said cagehaving open ends, an openin in each of the opposite end walls of thecasing spaced to register with adjoining tubes of the cage wherethroughcans may be simultaneously filled and emptied, respectively, means formaking said openings in the end walls of the casing tight againstleakage of steam, and means to ro tate said cage intermittently,consisting of a rotative wheel keyed on said shaft, a pawl engageablewith said wheel, and power means to cause said pawl to reciprocate witha predetermined rate of speed.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 22nd day of MarchA. D. 1922.

ERNEST W. HOPPER.

